Chained
by Sakura Mau Toki
Summary: He wanted no more to do with these thoughts and feelings. He wanted nothing more than to be free of these chains. He wanted to be free.


**Author's Note: Here's a little one shot I wrote as a free write on my Tumblr account. It is Shuren centric and focuses heavily on the concept of sin and other Christian/biblical themes and is quite angsty.**

**Enjoy!**

**Title: Chained**

**Characters: Shuren**

**Rating: T+ for safety.**

**Warnings: Dark content.**

* * *

How much longer was he going to remain chained? How many more years would he have to live in hatred, anger, despair, and regret? With every passing day his chains grew heavier, making him wonder just how long he had before he too lost his mind.

Every single day spent in this hell hole only fueled his frustration, which he gladly took out on his subordinates. Every passing day, hour and minute threatened to push the sinner over the edge. He did not belong; he knew that in the back of his mind, yet when he tried to remember he was faced with pain. Not only that, but the sins he didn't know he committed weighed heavily on his soul, leaving his spirit chained (quite literally).

He often wondered if the chains binding him to hell represented his sins, which made him wonder what he committed in the first place to be brought here. At first he didn't mind, having found a way to bypass their restrictions and to do whatever he pleased. Now, after his defeat at the hands of that insufferable boy the chains became more noticeable, heavier. With it the feelings of frustration and anger boiled to the surface, along with a new emotion: despair.

It was something he had not felt in a long time, not since his first arrival in hell. It was beginning to grow with each passing day, getting to the point where he began to worry if it would consume his entire being, driving him to the brink of madness before giving in completely. Never before had he felt trapped, a slave to his own negative emotions which threatened to undo everything he stood for, everything he was. His identity he carved in this place was being threatened, and he had no idea what to do about it.

He was becoming a slave unto himself, and he _hated it_.

With his despair rising, he felt himself drifting back to the memories of his first day in Hell. He also found himself dwelling on how he got to this place and why. This only served to fill him with more despair, and from that despair came regret. But regret for what? Why did he feel such an emotion when everything he did was for survival? Why should he feel regret over what happened in this accursed place?

Unless that regret had nothing to do with Hell.

Then what was it? Was it to do with his days before, the days he could not remember?

'_Oh, I think you know the answer to that.'_

The sinner paused, body tensing as the voice echoed across his mind. Was he going mad? Had the process already started?

'_You know why you're here, Shuren. You have sinned, and have thus sealed your fate.'_

Anger began to flare, rising up inside him as he looked every which way for the sound of the voice, refusing it to be the one inside his own mind.

'_How does it feel? Being a slave to your own sins isn't nice, is it? Here in this place, your negative traits can fester and grow, reaching the point where you will be driven to madness. That is the fate for you sinners, is it not?'_

"Who are you?" he asked, a growl to his words as a melodic laugh echoed through his mind.

'_You should know this, too, but it seems you've repressed all those memories. If you could remember, you would know the severity of your sins, and why you are here. Of course, this does not change your fate. You are still trapped here, bound in chains due to sin with no hope of ever escaping. This is the fate of sinners. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can give up these foolish plans of yours.'_

"They are not foolish!" he snapped, now beyond infuriated with the voice, which only continued to laugh at him.

'_You chose this fate of your own free will. You had the chance to repent, but you did not. Now you must atone for your sin and be given over to your nature.'_

"Enough!" He wanted no more to do with this conversation. He wanted no more to do with these thoughts and feelings. He wanted nothing more than to be free of these chains. He wanted to be _free_.

Yet, as he continued to look around the hot, barren landscape that served as his home, the more he realized that freedom was unattainable. He would be forever trapped.

'_Welcome to Hell. Now the true suffering begins.'_

**Fin.**


End file.
